Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much timber and timber products were procured by his Department in each of the last five years; and at what cost.

Shaun Woodward: My Department does not record the quantity procured or amount spent specifically on timber and timber products.

Wind Power: Radar

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what account his Department is taking of the effect of new wind farms on the UK's radar surveillance capability.

Malcolm Wicks: This is an issue the Department takes into account in both policy making and in its role as a consenting authority.
	The CLG's Planning Policy Statement (PPS22) on renewable energy includes aviation impacts as an area to be considered in renewable energy consent decisions by this Department and also by local planning authorities. Similar guidance is in place in Scotland and Wales.
	All objections, on aviation radar or other issues, are considered in the process of determining applications. The effect of wind turbines on radar is also one impact being considered under the Strategic Environmental Assessment on offshore wind announced last December. http://www.offshore-sea.org.uk/site/
	In addition, a number of further activities to increase understanding of the impact of wind farms and to develop technical solutions have been and continue to be undertaken by the Department directly, or are coordinated by the Department.
	For example, following on from the Prime Minister's commitment last year to find technical solutions to reduce aviation and radar objections around wind farms, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on this was announced on 13 June. This is a high level agreement between Government (including BERR, DfT and MoD) and industry that aims to deploy the renewable power we require while ensuring we maintain both a safe airspace and national security.
	The MoU and its associated workstreams (laid out in an Aviation Plan) will focus on several strands, including the exploration of innovative technological solutions focused on Air Defence and Air Traffic radar, and all parties have signed up to commit to find a solution to this issue.

Transport: Competition

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government have taken to promote competition in the transport industry.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has a procurement directorate who manage the Department's procurement procedures including the award of contracts. The Department's procurement procedures are designed to align with EU treaty requirements, procurement legislation and Treasury regulations. Full details of the procedures are published on the DfT website under "Procurement".

Developing Countries: Economic Growth

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what arrangements his Department has put in place to involve the private sector in supporting economic growth in developing countries.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) promotes policies and programmes which enable the private sector to support economic growth in developing countries. DFID's approach is to help make markets work better in a way that facilitates the private sector as the engine of growth. The private sector supports growth by making productive investments, creating jobs and generating profits on which tax is levied to finance essential public services.
	DFID works with governments, the private sector and other stakeholders to develop conducive investment climates that facilitate private sector led market development; and supports various mechanisms that involve working with the private sector more directly.
	For example, DFID led the development of the Investment Climate Facility for Africa and a variety of challenge funds which are being used to facilitate private sector engagement and innovation in economic reform in developing countries. DFID's work in many partner countries also focuses on specific activities that support private sector development such as financial sector development, reform of business regulation, tax systems and addressing constraints to fair competition.
	In response to the Call for Action on the MDG's launched by the Prime Minister with the UN Secretary-General last July, the Government are working with UNDP and the private sector to secure commitments by business to develop initiatives which will contribute to growth in developing countries and help meet the MDGs. The Government have also since 2002 launched Transparency initiatives in key sectors for growth such as extractives and construction to help minimise corruption in the sectors and maximise their contribution to growth.

Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much timber and timber products were procured by his Department in each of the last five years; and at what cost.

Shahid Malik: The only significant timber or timber products that the Department for International Development (DFID) purchases are items of furniture. We are unable to provide the information requested as we do not separately identify either the quantity or value of such products from other items of furniture purchased.

Departmental Vetting

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures his Department follows for checking the criminal records of employees; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: For those positions in the MOD that require national security vetting, applicants are required to complete a security questionnaire declaring both unspent and spent convictions. The data is checked by the Defence Vetting Agency, which has direct access to the Police National Computer, along with a range of other checks as described in the Prime Minister's statement on vetting on 15 December 1994,  Official Report, columns 764-66W.
	Where it is judged that national security vetting is unnecessary and the level of risk is acceptable, the Government Baseline Personnel Security Standard is applied. This requires recruits to declare unspent convictions against which random checks are carried out. When individuals will be working with children or vulnerable adults, their consent is sought to carry out additional checks through the Defence Vetting Agency with the Criminal Records Bureau.

Morning Star

Francis Maude: To ask the Leader of the House how many copies of the Morning Star publication her Office subscribes to each week; and at what cost.

Helen Goodman: None.

Departmental Vetting

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what procedures his Department follows for checking the criminal records of employees; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department was created in the machinery of government changes announced on 28 June 2007 when staff from the former Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) were incorporated into the new Department.
	All individuals recruited to the Department and formally the DTI are subject to a basic criminal records check. As part of the application process individuals complete a self-declaration of their criminal records. In line with the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard the Department undertakes a random 20 per cent. basic criminal records check for those not in a regulated post.
	In addition to the Baseline Security checks, all individuals recruited to a regulated post, or to a post where they have access to personal or sensitive data about children or vulnerable adults, have been subject to, or are currently undergoing, enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check, as a matter of course.

Departmental Vetting

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of successful applicants for jobs in his Department are subjected to a criminal records check; how many  (a) successful applicants and  (b) criminal records checks there were in each of the last 10 years; how many successful applicants were found to have a criminal record after a criminal records check took place in each of the last 10 years; whether the selection of successful candidates to be subjected to a criminal records check is random or targeted; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department was created in the machinery of government changes announced on 28 June 2007 when staff from the former Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) were incorporated into the new Department.
	All individuals recruited to the Department and the former DTI are subject to a basic criminal records check. As part of the application process individuals complete a self-declaration of their criminal records. In line with the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard the Department undertakes a random 20 per cent. basic criminal records check for those not in a regulated post.
	The numbers, by year, of applicants who have been checked is not held centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost.
	In addition to the Baseline Security Checks, the Department completes Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks for employees. All individuals recruited to a regulated post, or to a post where they have access to personal or sensitive data about children or vulnerable adults, are subject to, targeted enhanced CRB check.
	Since the formation of this Department in 2007 no CRB checks have been carried out.

Higher Education: Admissions

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students from each socio-economic category participated in higher education in each year since 1995.

Bill Rammell: Information is available on full-time young (aged 18-20) participation in higher education by socio-economic class. Table 1 shows the following:
	1. The proportion of 18 to 20-year-olds from the top three socio-economic classes who participate for the first time in full-time higher education;
	2. The proportion of 18 to 20-year-olds from the bottom four socio-economic classes who participate for the first time in full-time higher education;
	3. The difference, or "gap", between these two rates.
	
		
			  Table 1: Full-time young participation by socio-economic class (FYPSEC) 
			  Percentage 
			   Academic year 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Percentage from NS-SECs 1, 2 and 3 44.1 40.9 41.2 42.8 39.5 
			 Percentage from NS-SECs 4, 5, 6 and 7 17.5 17.8 17.4 19.8 19.0 
			 Difference 26.5 23.1 23.7 22.9 20.5 
			  Source: DIUS 
		
	
	The figures cover English-domiciled 18 to 20-year-olds who are studying for the first time at higher education level at UK higher education institutions or English further education colleges, who remain on their courses for at least six months.
	2006/07 was an exceptional year in the higher education sector, due to the significant changes brought about by the introduction of variable fees and the new student support package. We expected, and saw, a drop in student numbers that year, following record numbers in the preceding year.
	We are already seeing the position recover from 2006/07: according to UCAS figures, 307,000 applicants from England have been accepted for entry in 2007, a rise of 6 per cent. from 2006. This is the highest figure ever. Furthermore, the proportion of accepted applicants from England who are from the bottom four socio-economic classes increased from 31.7 per cent. in 2006 to 32.1 per cent. in 2007—the highest figure to date. And the latest applicant figures for 2008 entry show that applicants from England are again up by 6 per cent.
	The Government remain committed to widening participation in higher education. It is an economic as well as a social imperative that everyone who can benefit from higher education has the opportunity to do so. Widening participation is about spotting and nurturing talent, with schools, colleges and universities working together to ensure that all those with the potential and merit to benefit from higher education are able to do so.

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs in each constituency are offering extended opening hours.

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of GP surgeries are open at 7 p.m.  (a) on weekdays and  (b) at weekends; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Information in the form requested is not held centrally. For the purposes of monitoring, the Department of Health is collecting on a monthly basis the numbers of general practitioner practices in each primary care trust area which offer extended opening hours, but this does not set out the opening hours of individual practices as this will depend on local patients' preferences. Statistics on extended opening hours are being published on a monthly basis, and, to date, May 2008 data is available, and copies have been placed in the Library.

Medical Records: Databases

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the circumstances in which an opt-out from the summary care record under section 10 of the Data Protection Act 1998 could be overridden; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Requests made by patients under the provisions of section 10 of the Data Protection Act 1998 must be considered on a case by case basis. The Act makes it clear that a section 10 request should only be overridden where the purpose served by processing the data is sufficiently important to warrant doing so even where it is accepted that substantial harm or distress is being caused. We do not expect there to be many, if any, circumstances where this would arise in the case of an individual who is competent to make decisions. However, there may be circumstances, for example, where there are serious child protection concerns, where a doctor might feel that a parents request to opt a child out of having a summary care record is not in the best interest of a child.

Medical Records: Databases

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from law enforcement organisations on  (a) access to the secondary users database and  (b) provision to law enforcement authorities of the identities of individuals with specific information on their medical records; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Law enforcement organisations are not permitted to directly access data held within the secondary uses service or any other patient information held centrally, and no representations have been received to do so.
	Data is only disclosed to law enforcement organisations in accordance with the Department's publication "Confidentiality: NHS Code of Practice" (2003), copies of the code are available in the Library. This limits disclosure to circumstances where the overriding public interest outweighs obligations of confidentiality, for example, when immediate action is required to prevent or support detection of extremely serious crimes, where there is statutory authority, or where the courts have made an order requiring disclosure.

Abortion: Young People

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake research to evaluate whether the Government's target to reduce the number of teenage mothers has had an effect on the number of teenagers having abortions.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government's target is to reduce the rate of teenage conceptions, not the rate of teenage motherhood. Once a conception has occurred, the Government do not attempt to influence the outcome of that conception, but rather to ensure that all the advice and support necessary is available.
	The first priority of the teenage pregnancy strategy is to encourage all young people to delay sexual activity. However, it recognises that between a quarter and a third of young people has sex before age 16. That is why the strategy also includes measures to improve sexually active young people's access to contraceptive and sexual health advice, so that they can avoid unplanned pregnancies and STIs.
	The strategy is working. Between 1998 (the baseline year for the teenage pregnancy strategy) and 2006 (the latest year for which data are available) the under-18 conception rate has fallen by 13.3 per cent to its lowest level for over 20 years. The under-16 rate has fallen by 13.0 per cent. over the same period.

Moldova: Visas

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visitor visas were granted to citizens of Moldova in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 June 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	The number of visit visas issued to Moldovan nationals in each of the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005 1,282 
			 2006 1,476 
			 2007 292 
			  Note : Date range: 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2007.  Source: Central Reference System 
		
	
	This data is previously unpublished and should be strictly treated as provisional.

Cambridge University

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what date, and for how many minutes  (a) the Universities Committee of the Privy Council and  (b) any other committee of the Privy Council considered the amendments to the statutes of the University of Cambridge that he laid before the House on 10 June 2008.

Michael Wills: I am answering on behalf of my right hon. friend Baroness Ashton of Upholland, Lord President of the Council, with whom policy responsibility lies.
	Statute amendments submitted by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and by their colleges, under the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge Act 1923, are firstly published in the London Gazette, inviting petitions against within eight weeks. If no petitions are received, the amendments are then laid before Parliament for four weeks. If there are no prayers made against, the amendments are then submitted to the Queen in Council for approval, following a recommendation by the Privy Council. Concurrently with the statutory procedure, the amendments are referred to the individual members of an ad hoc committee of the Privy Council for consideration and report.
	In the instance of those amendments laid before Parliament on 10 June 2008, as no petitions were made against the amendments, following publication in the London Gazette on 11 April 2008, there was no requirement to refer them to the Universities Committee of the Privy Council. The amendments were referred to an ad hoc committee of the Privy Council on 27 March 2008: not all responses have been received to date.

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the average pay per hour worked by  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary staff in his Department in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by pay band.

Michael Wills: The following data relates to permanent staff and staff on temporary contracts directly employed by the Ministry of Justice. The average hourly rate is based on a average full-time equivalent salary for each of the main grades as at 31 May 2008.
	Staff employed by the Ministry of Justice below the SCS are attached to one of six grades called pay bands (bands A-F). The minimum and maximum of each pay band is further determined by location under our regional pay system. Inner London is in range 1, outer London is in range 2. Other locations across the UK are based in either range 3, 4 or 5.
	The following figures are calculated on basic pay only. They do not include any allowances. NET hours have been used in the calculations.
	We are unable to provide average salaries paid to staff employed through employment agencies. Salary paid to the individual is determined between the Temporary Staffing Agency and the individual. The Ministry does not monitor average salaries paid to such individuals centrally.
	
		
			  Band  Range  Average hourly salary (£) 
			 Band A Range 1 26.68 
			  Range 2 25.25 
			  Range 3 23.75 
			  Range 4 23.75 
			  Range 5 23.75 
			 Band B Range 1 18.08 
			  Range 2 19.32 
			  Range 3 16.31 
			  Range 4 16.31 
			  Range 5 16.31 
			 Band C Range 1 15.14 
			  Range 2 14.71 
			  Range 3 13.50 
			  Range 4 13.03 
			  Range 5 11.96 
			 Band D Range 1 12.17 
			  Range 2 11.69 
			  Range 3 10.41 
			  Range 4 11.19 
			  Range 5 9.70 
			 Band E Range 1 10.17 
			  Range 2 9.69 
			  Range 3 8.44 
			  Range 4 8.24 
			  Range 5 7.35 
			 Band F Range 1 9.05 
			  Range 2 8.31 
			  Range 3 7.36 
			  Range 4 7.20 
			  Range 5 6.23 
		
	
	Senior civil servants are required to work a minimum (over a five-day week) of 41 hours in London or 42 hours elsewhere and are required to work such additional hours as may be reasonable and necessary for the efficient performance of their duties. This is reflected in their contracts.
	 HM Prison Service
	The following figures are calculated on basic pay only. They do not include any allowances or local pay additions. NET hours have been used in the calculations. HMPS pay awards are payable from 1 April annually. These figures do not reflect the 2008 pay award which has not yet been implemented.
	
		
			   
			  Non-phase 1 staff  Average hourly rate (£) 
			 Admin Assistant 6.74 
			 Admin Officer 8.26 
			 Catering Manager 12.15 
			 Chaplain Cond Hrs Pay Band 1 13.42 
			 Chaplain Cond Hrs Pay Band 2 12.40 
			 Chaplain CRHA Pay Band 1 14.24 
			 Chaplain CRHA Pay Band 2 11.58 
			 Substance Misuse Worker 10.11 
			 Executive Officer 11.57 
			 Farm Manager 12.98 
			 Instructional Officer 11.62 
			 Medical Officer 31.44 
			 Part-time Medical Officer 27.56 
			 Personal Secretary 9.65 
			 Prof and Tech Officer 12.23 
			 Psychological Assistant 7.64 
			 Scientific Officer 13.27 
			 Senior Medical Officer 36.60 
			 Senior Personal Sec 12.05 
			 SGB 1 7.81 
			 SGB 2 7.01 
			 SGB 2 Cleaner 6.60 
			 Stores Officer C 11.15 
			 Stores Officer D 10.43 
			 Technical Grade 1 10.17 
			 Trainee Psychologist 9.29 
			 Typing Manager 11.43 
			 Typist 7.58 
			   
			  Industrial staff  
			 Industrial Grade 1 Pattern A 10.08 
			 Industrial Grade 1 Pattern B 11.62 
			 Industrial Grade 1 Pattern C 13.39 
			 Industrial Grade 2 Pattern A 9.48 
			 Industrial Grade 2 Pattern B 10.85 
			 Industrial Grade 2 Pattern C 12.49 
			 Industrial Grade 3 Pattern A 8.70 
			 Industrial Grade 3 Pattern B 9.95 
			 Industrial Grade 3 Pattern C 11.41 
			 Industrial Grade 4 Pattern A 7.76 
			 Industrial Grade 4 Pattern B 8.83 
			 Industrial Grade 4 Pattern C 10.26 
			 Industrial Grade 5 Pattern A 7.36 
			 Industrial Grade 5 Pattern B 8.39 
			 Industrial Grade 5 Pattern C 9.75 
			   
			  Phase 1 staff  
			 Senior Manager A 38.95 
			 Senior Manager B 35.13 
			 Senior Manager C 31.28 
			 Senior Manager D 26.69 
			 Manager E 20.17 
			 Manager F 16.24 
			 Manager G 13.88 
			   
			  Unified staff  
			 Assistant Storeman 7.33 
			 Auxiliary 6.65 
			 Night Patrol 6.27 
			 OSG 8.13 
			 Principal Officer 15.94 
			 Prison Officer 12.39 
			 Senior Officer 14.82 
			 Storeman 7.91 
		
	
	It has not been possible to obtain data on the average salaries paid to staff employed by employment agencies contracted to the Ministry of Justice within the time scales or costs available.

Food

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much food waste his Department generated in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much food waste in tonnes his Department generated in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice takes its commitment for effective waste management seriously and is currently implementing a waste management strategy across its estate. Food waste data for the past five years does not exist as the previous waste management system did not record food waste generated separately from general waste.
	However, with the overall aim of providing an effective solution to sites with food waste disposal issues, HM Prisons Service (HMPS) has conducted two surveys into waste food at public sector managed prisons. The first survey was initiated in May 2006 and concluded in February 2007. A survey of this nature had not been conducted before and therefore prisons did experience problems in collating data. The second survey was conducted in December 2007 and concluded in January 2008.
	The information has primarily been used to identify sites that experienced disposal issues and, consequently, as the foundation for the business case to introduce a sustainable methodology for dealing with this waste stream.
	
		
			  Results of food waste surveys 
			   2006  2007 
			 Prisons responding to survey 32 51 
			 Operational capacity 17,416 30,121 
			 Average weekly food waste per prisoner (based on responses) (kilograms) 1.45 1.34 
			 Average prison population for year 79,000 80,000 
			 Weekly waste across prison estate (extrapolated) 115 107 
			 Annual waste across prison estate (extrapolated) 5,957 5,574 
		
	
	The Prison Service has turned waste into a resource and revenue stream by sorting and selling paper, cardboard, metals and plastics; by reducing the costs of skips for unsorted waste and the costs of waste to landfill; re-using reclaimed items such as clothing; turning food waste into commercial grade compost; and converting used cooking oil into bio diesel for heating and some vehicles. The value of these cashable and efficiency savings are in excess of £3.5 million a year.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were  (a) charged,  (b) prosecuted and  (c) convicted for offences under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under Section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in England and Wales for the years 1997 to 2006 can be viewed in the following table. Section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 came into force on 16 June 1997.
	Charging data are not held by the Ministry of Justice. Information on numbers proceeded against has been provided in lieu of charging data.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under Section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 1997 507 249 
			 1998 4,301 2,222 
			 1999 5,540 2,753 
			 2000 5,976 2,929 
			 2001 5,873 2,806 
			 2002 5,842 2,864 
			 2003 5,891 3,020 
			 2004 5,973 3,348 
			 2005 5,678 3,635 
			 2006 5,446 3,768 
			 (1) Data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Data includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions:  Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Sec.2 as amended by Crime & Disorder Act 1998 Sec.32(l)(a),(3).  Racially Aggravated Offence of Harassment.  Religiously aggravated offence of harassment.  Racially or religiously aggravated offence of harassment.  Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Sec.2. Offence of Harassment. (3 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4 )Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (5 )Section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 came into force on 16 June 1997.  Source:  Court proceedings data held by RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice.

Sexual Offences: Jurisdiction

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to amend the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to apply extraterritorial jurisdiction to offences committed abroad by UK nationals which would be considered criminal under domestic law.

Maria Eagle: It is already an offence under section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 Act for a British citizen or UK resident to commit sex offences overseas against children under the age of 16 providing that such acts are also offences in the country where they are committed.
	We have recently strengthened these provisions in section 72 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. When this section of the Act is implemented on 14 July it will be possible to prosecute a British citizen for child sex offences committed overseas regardless of whether the acts are legal in the country in question. We have also amended the relevant age for these provisions so that they will now apply to victims under the age of 18.
	This change will mean that British citizens who travel abroad to exploit children will not be able to evade justice by targeting countries whose laws offer less protection to children than the laws of the UK.
	Taking extraterritorial jurisdiction is a major step but we believe it is fully justified in respect of offences committed against children by our citizens abroad. We have no plans to extend this further at this stage.

Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much timber and timber products were procured by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last five years; and at what cost;
	(2)  how much timber and timber products were procured by his Department and its predecessor originating from independently verified legal and sustainable sources or from a licensed FLEGT partner in each of the last five years; and at what cost.

Michael Wills: We do not hold central records of the furniture purchased in the last five years, to retrieve such information would involve manual checks of local records at disproportionate time and cost. The Ministry of Justice buys the vast majority of its furniture from OGC Buying Solutions frameworks. All furniture purchased from these frameworks are from legal and sustainable sources.
	Within the National Offender Management Service, it is our policy to make furniture in-house from raw materials sourced from a range of suppliers, rather than buy the furniture as finished products.

Low Incomes: Children

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of children there were in families in work earning less than the average national weekly income in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information is in the following table.
	We have presented the number and proportion of all children who are in families in work in households with incomes below the median household income. This is in line with the "Households Below Average Income" publication.
	
		
			  Number and proportion of all children who are in families in work with below median household incomes 
			Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			  Coverage   Number (Million)  Percentage below median income  Number (Million)  Percentage below median income 
			 GB 1997-98 5.1 40 5.3 42 
			  1998-99 5.2 41 5.3 42 
			  1999-2000 5.1 40 5.4 42 
			  2000-01 5.1 40 5.4 42 
			  2001-02 5.2 42 5.5 44 
			   
			 UK 2002-03 5.4 41 5.6 43 
			  2003-04 5.3 41 5.5 43 
			  2004-05 5.5 42 5.7 44 
			  2005-06 5.4 42 5.6 44 
			  2006-07 5.5 43 5.8 45 
			  Notes 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income data, which is sourced from the Family Resources Survey. 2. The reference period for Household Below Average Income figures is single financial years. 3. Up to 2005-06, a child was defined as anyone aged under 16 or anyone aged 16 to 18 who is not married, in a civil partnership nor living with a partner, who is living with parents and who is in full-time non-advanced education or unwaged Government training. From 2006-07, this definition was extended to include 19-year-olds fulfilling these conditions to be in line with child benefit eligibility. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication "Households Below Average Income" (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 5. Net incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 6. The median income is the income of the middle person in the population, such that half the population have incomes below the median and half the population have incomes above the median. The median is used instead of the mean income because the mean is affected by outlying cases with very high income values. This is consistent with relevant public service agreement indicators and the "Households Below Average Income" publication. 7. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 8. Figures have been presented on both a before housing cost and after housing cost basis. For before housing cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for after housing cost they are. This means that after housing cost incomes will generally be lower than before housing cost. 9. Number of children have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 children, while proportions of children have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 10. Small changes should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 11. A working family has been defined as one where at least one adult is in work, either through being self-employed, working full-time or working part-time. 12. Families are defined as a single adult or couple living as married and any dependent children, including same sex couples (civil partnerships and cohabitees) from January 2006. A household is made up of one of more families. Source: "Households Below Average Income", DWP

Poynter Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to publish the final report of the Poynter Review of data security.

Jane Kennedy: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer did so on 25 June. A copy is available in the Library of the House

Revenue and Customs: Operating Costs

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the operating costs of each tax office in Cornwall were in 2007-08.

Jane Kennedy: The accommodation running costs for HMRC's estate in Cornwall as a whole were £1,612,601 in 2007-08. This is comprised of building rent, business rates, service and utility costs for its seven properties in the county, namely, Penhaligon House, St. Austell, Piran House, Redruth, Penlowarth, Penzance, Lysnoweth and Pydar House, Truro, Madford House, Launceston and Custom House, Falmouth.
	A specific breakdown for each office cannot be supplied due for reasons of commercial sensitivity relating to the accommodation and facility contract between HMRC and its estate partner, Mapeley.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many penalty notices for disorder in relation to the sale of alcohol to a person under 18 years of age were issued in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) each police force area in each year since 2004; how many of these resulted in an unpaid fine in each area, and what the average fine levied was.

Vernon Coaker: The number of persons issued with a penalty notice for disorder (PND) for the offence of selling alcohol to a person under 18 years of age in each year since 2004 in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) by police force area can be viewed in the following table. The table also includes the number of PNDs not paid by the end of statutory enforcement period, which were registered as fines  (a) in England and Wales and  (b) by police force area.
	The offence attracts an £80 penalty. Where the offender either fails to pay the penalty or opts for a court hearing, a fine of one and half times the penalty amount (£120) is registered against them.
	
		
			  Number of penalty notices for disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over, for the offence of "selling, alcohol to a person aged under 18" by police force area and outcome, England and Wales, 2004 to 2006( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   2004( 1)  2005  2006 
			  Police force area  Number issued  Total unpaid  Number issued  Total unpaid  Number issued  Total unpaid 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 56 5 54 4 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 2 0 13 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 11 0 29 1 
			 Cheshire 0 0 49 3 50 4 
			 Cleveland 0 0 33 1 23 3 
			 Cumbria 0 0 23 0 21 2 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 8 1 30 3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 82 7 115 15 
			 Dorset 22 4 22 0 29 5 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Essex 7 0 120 6 94 12 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 42 5 54 6 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 127 28 211 32 
			 Hampshire 2 1 67 9 109 10 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 3 0 41 3 
			 Humberside 2 0 45 4 48 4 
			 Kent 0 0 10 6 5 1 
			 Lancashire 30 27 190 27 206 27 
			 Leicestershire 2 0 46 6 59 10 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 26 2 57 7 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 2 0 73 16 127 15 
			 Metropolitan Police 21 3 161 28 252 29 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 10 1 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 11 0 
			 Northamptonshire 1 1 39 6 34 6 
			 Northumbria 1 1 48 3 84 19 
			 Nottinghamshire 9 0 117 17 265 42 
			 South Yorkshire 2 0 107 9 158 20 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 19 1 75 7 
			 Suffolk 0 0 19 1 21 2 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 0 34 2 
			 Sussex 0 0 63 2 216 27 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 12 0 95 10 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 3 1 5 0 
			 West Mercia 1 0 22 1 34 2 
			 West Midlands 6 2 114 15 143 24 
			 West Yorkshire 4 0 72 13 105 24 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 8 1 18 5 
			
			 England 112 39 1,839 224 2,936 368 
			
			 Dyfed Powys 0 0 18 0 9 1 
			 Gwent 0 0 20 2 50 15 
			 North Wales 1 0 58 12 83 21 
			 South Wales 0 0 123 15 117 14 
			
			 Wales 1 0 219 29 259 51 
			
			 England and Wales 113 39 2,058 253 3,195 439 
			 (1) Offence added to the PND scheme on the 1 November 2004, therefore PND information for this year is for November and December only. (2) Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions: Sell alcohol to a person under 18 S.169A Licensing Act 1964 Sale of alcohol anywhere to a person under 18 s.146(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 The latter statute replaced the former in November 2005. (3) The British Transport Police began issuing PNDs in 2006. However, none were issued by them for this offence. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Sources: Penalty notice for disorder (PND) database held by CJEA (Criminal Justice, Evidence and Analysis) Office for Criminal Justice Reform Ministry of Justice

Asylum: Iraq

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the operation of the Locally Employed Staff Assistance Scheme, with particular reference to  (a) the provisional and transitional arrangements for (i) accommodation, (ii) schooling, (iii) language training and (iv) other support,  (b) longer term plans for those benefiting from the scheme and  (c) the position of those currently located in third countries.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 June 2008
	 Since we announced our intention to help those who served our forces in Iraq families have begun arriving in the UK, with more to come this summer. They are given housing, English lessons, financial support and have a case worker who helps them to resettle and access health and education services. Accommodation is provided through a variety of providers who assess the housing needs of families to provide suitable short and long term accommodation. Advice and training to enable access to work is also provided by appropriate agencies.
	By providing both current and former locally engaged staff with indefinite leave to remain in the UK we are showing a real commitment to providing a new start for the staff who have worked for us in Iraq. The first group of former staff were interviewed (in a third country) by UK Border Agency staff in May 2008 and those accepted will be arrive in the UK from July onwards. The UK Border Agency will return in July to interview the second group of former locally engaged staff.

Entry Clearances: Russia

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2008,  Official Report, column 472W, on entry clearances, how many visits have been made to the UK by Russian citizens in the last 12 months; and how many visas had been issued at each of the visa application centres in Russia.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 June 2008
	The latest information on visits to the United Kingdom by Russian nationals is published in Table 2.3 in the Home Office Command Paper 'Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2006' which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-publications.html
	Data for 2007 is due to be published in August.
	The total number of visas issued at our posts in Russia in the last 12 months (1 June 2007 to 31 May 2008) is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Moscow 112,871 
			 St. Petersburg 22,548 
			 Yekaterinburg 7,708

Immigration Controls: Eurostar

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was incremental to the salaries they would otherwise be drawing in the UK of stationing officials of her Department in the Eurostar terminals in  (a) Paris and  (b) Brussels was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The Civil Service Management Code and the Overseas Compendium dictate that staff posted from the UK to work abroad are placed on the same salary scales as their equivalents working in central London, receive any applicable London allowances, as well as a 'Cost of Living Allowance' (COLA) to provide for the increased cost of living at post. These allowances are regularly reviewed and fluctuate in line with exchange rates and cost of living movements.
	Accommodation, utility bills (excluding private telephone calls), local taxes and transfer costs are also paid from public funds. A single immigration officer posted to Paris therefore costs about £31,000 per annum more than an immigration officer working in central London.
	Prior to the introduction of juxtaposed controls on Eurostar routes there were an average of 700 inadequately documented arrivals (IDA's) and asylum applications seen per month at Waterloo. Since the introduction of the juxtaposed controls, such arrivals at UK Eurostar stations have now all but been eliminated. Many IDA's subsequently go on to claim asylum and so the cost savings resulting from having a juxtaposed control arrangement in place are substantial.

Police: Manpower

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were employed per head of the population in each police force area in each year since 1997-98.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is published annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series "Police Service Strength, England and Wales". The bulletins are available in the Library of the House, and can be downloaded from the publications link within the Research Development and Statistics directorate website located at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.html
	The available data are also given in the following table.
	
		
			  Police officers( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  per 100,000 of the population for by police force, as at 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2007 
			   31 March  each year 
			  Police force  1997( 3)  1998  1999  2000  2001( 4)  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset 204 203 203 197 197 205 213 229 226 226 224 
			 Bedfordshire 200 197 189 185 184 189 198 210 213 213 207 
			 Cambridgeshire 188 184 179 172 179 187 196 197 196 196 187 
			 Cheshire 209 208 211 204 204 209 217 224 223 223 225 
			 Cleveland 261 266 255 252 253 263 294 314 308 308 315 
			 Cumbria 233 237 229 220 213 224 237 254 256 256 255 
			 Derbyshire 187 184 182 183 187 189 210 216 212 212 209 
			 Devon and Cornwall 186 192 186 182 187 192 204 208 219 219 216 
			 Dorset 189 192 186 189 196 198 205 209 216 216 217 
			 Durham 240 249 258 256 263 266 281 288 288 288 285 
			 Essex 197 193 190 183 178 181 186 192 203 203 203 
			 Gloucestershire 205 198 197 200 209 209 219 229 228 228 229 
			 Greater Manchester 268 270 265 264 268 279 298 323 318 318 314 
			 Hampshire 198 199 197 193 193 195 208 211 211 211 215 
			 Hertfordshire 205 202 198 201 184 174 191 204 208 208 210 
			 Humberside 230 228 223 219 217 234 244 256 251 251 251 
			 Kent 210 209 204 203 209 210 221 228 227 227 229 
			 Lancashire 228 229 228 223 228 231 239 252 253 253 252 
			 Leicestershire 211 214 215 215 218 224 232 246 241 241 237 
			 Lincolnshire 196 193 184 179 191 189 191 189 183 183 183 
			 London, City of(5) — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Merseyside 296 297 298 290 291 294 302 303 315 315 325 
			 Metropolitan Police(5) 367 356 352 341 351 366 404 420 417 417 426 
			 Norfolk 185 184 176 175 178 183 189 190 193 193 191 
			 Northamptonshire 196 193 186 181 186 194 194 198 207 207 200 
			 Northumbria 256 263 269 266 272 278 290 294 291 291 283 
			 North Yorkshire 183 186 181 173 175 188 193 203 216 216 217 
			 Nottinghamshire 225 225 216 214 214 226 239 245 243 243 235 
			 South Yorkshire 242 244 243 243 245 246 252 261 259 259 256 
			 Staffordshire 209 217 211 204 201 201 212 218 219 219 219 
			 Suffolk 180 179 179 171 168 177 188 196 191 191 196 
			 Surrey 209 207 212 227 192 184 182 183 184 184 183 
			 Sussex 211 203 191 188 188 190 203 206 207 207 205 
			 Thames Valley 180 183 180 178 175 177 186 195 202 202 199 
			 Warwickshire 186 185 180 178 182 190 198 197 198 198 199 
			 West Mercia 183 180 180 166 171 176 196 202 202 202 205 
			 West Midlands 270 271 278 274 283 293 307 311 318 318 318 
			 West Yorkshire 247 244 236 228 228 230 242 254 270 270 270 
			 Wiltshire 195 195 192 185 184 189 190 198 196 196 192 
			 Dyfed-Powys 212 210 215 217 219 234 237 236 237 237 236 
			 Gwent 275 222 224 227 229 239 244 248 264 264 268 
			 North Wales 208 213 212 213 220 228 234 243 242 242 238 
			 South Wales 223 242 241 236 250 259 273 275 271 271 273 
			 (1) This table is based on full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be ah apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Figures up to 31 March 2002 exclude staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. The figures for 31 March 2003 onwards figures include those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (3) Boundary changes on 1 April 1996 transferred resources for the policing of the Rhymney Valley from South Wales police to Gwent police. (4) Boundary changes on 1 April 2000 transferred some resources from the Metropolitan police to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey police forces. (5) Officers per 100,000 population for City of London and Metropolitan police are combined.

Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much timber and timber products were procured by her Department in each of the last five years; and at what cost.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office actively seeks to buy all wood and wood products (including furniture) from legal and sustainable sources. Data on quantity is no longer recorded centrally. We have data on two years within the last five: this is set out as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Value of timber  Value of timber products 
			 2003-04(1) 1,275,000 2,131,137 
			 2004-05(1) 291, 000 1,209,000 
			 (1) Includes Prison Service.